Lyme disease is caused by tick bites and has early symptoms of flu-like symptoms and a rash, while late-stage symptoms include fatigue and neurological issues. Treatment involves antibiotics, but some patients may experience ongoing symptoms.
Lyme disease is a bacterial disease transmitted by the bites of several species of ticks in the United States, including the deer tick, lone star tick, and American dog tick. The signs of Lyme disease fall into two categories. Early symptoms of Lyme disease follow a pattern of flu-like symptoms accompanied by a rash, while late-stage signs of disseminated Lyme disease include fatigue and neurological symptoms.
The first of the signs of Lyme disease is the characteristic Lyme disease rash that appears between three and 30 days after infection. Up to 80 percent of people with Lyme disease will have this rash, called erythema migrans. The rash typically begins as a small patch of redness, which may have a small raised bump in the center. Over the course of several days the rash may expand to a diameter of 12 cm (30 inches).
Several other signs of Lyme disease can accompany or follow the rash. Often these first symptoms mimic flu symptoms and can include fever and chills, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Some people may develop one or more mobile rashes in addition to the initial rash.
If these initial symptoms are not diagnosed and the patient is not treated, further symptoms will eventually appear. New symptoms can emerge in days or weeks depending on the individual case. Joint pain and stiffness, heart palpitations, dizziness and sleep disturbances are possible symptoms in this stage. Some people may experience neurological symptoms such as limb weakness, paralysis and numbness, seizures, confusion, or Bell’s palsy, characterized by loss of muscle tone in the face. Some symptoms may disappear on their own, even if the disease is not treated.
The late signs of Lyme disease can appear over several months. About 60 percent of people with untreated Lyme disease will start experiencing episodes of arthritis. This severe pain and swelling usually affects large joints such as the knees. In about 5 percent of people, neurological symptoms such as memory loss, impaired concentration, and numbness in the hands and feet can persist for years after the initial infection.
Treatment of Lyme disease usually involves a course of antibiotics to kill the bacteria causing the disease. If the diagnosis is made early enough, a single course of antibiotics is usually sufficient to cure the patient. A small number of patients may continue to experience symptoms such as joint and muscle pain, sleep disturbances, neurological symptoms and fatigue after treatment. These symptoms are thought to indicate an autoimmune response triggered by Lyme disease infection.
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